George Wren trades a stable career for his dream job at a prestigious literary magazine, only to find himself embroiled in the editor's escalating paranoia and the staff's simmering discontent. George's ambition to work at The Outsider, a highbrow weekly, leads him to accept a junior editor position under his idol, Gilbert Twining. However, the magazine is a hotbed of internal strife, with Twining confiding his professional and personal anxieties to George over martinis, while George's wife and child await him at home. George must navigate the treacherous office politics and determine if Twining's fears of an insurrection are justified or the product of his own instability.

The novel is lauded as a significant comic work, with one critic calling it "one of the few genuinely comic novels since Lucky Jim." The description highlights its sharp satire of 1960s intellectual New York and its affectionate portrayal of office life as a microcosm of adult experience. It is recognized for its keen observation of petty rivalries and idealistic aspirations within a professional setting. The book is presented as an indelible satire and a celebration of the workplace.